By Sean Whaley, Nevada News Bureau
CARSON CITY – Gov. Brian Sandoval today announced he has appointed Elaine Wynn to the state Board of Education, effective Jan. 8.
“Elaine has long been a vocal advocate for improving the delivery of education to our state’s children,” Sandoval said. “From her service to our state as co-chair of the Education Reform Blue Ribbon Task Force to her continued work with students in the greater Las Vegas area, Elaine is a dedicated champion for education and I am pleased she has agreed to serve in this manner.”
Elaine Wynn. Image provided by Nevada News Bureau.
Wynn, director of Wynn Resorts since 2000, was appointed by then-Gov. Jim Gibbons as co-chair of the Education Reform Blue Ribbon Task Force in 2010. The task force was created to submit a state application for the federal Race to the Top competition and make education reform recommendations to the state Legislature. Nevada did not ultimately receive funding in the competition.
Wynn is the founding chairwoman of Communities In Schools of Nevada, the current chairwoman of the national board of Communities In Schools, a trustee of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, a board member of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and a board member of the Library of Congress Trust Fund.
Born and raised in New York City, Wynn graduated from George Washington University in 1964 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. She resided in Washington, DC, before moving to Las Vegas in 1967.
The makeup of the Nevada State Board of Education was changed by the 2011 Legislature as part of Sandoval’s education reform package. Until now it has been a 10-member board elected from districts around the state.
The new board as established in Senate Bill 197, beginning next year, has four elected members, one from each of the state’s congressional districts. It also has one member appointed by Sandoval and one member each selected by the Senate majority leader and Assembly speaker. There will also be four non-voting members appointed by the governor representing different public education interests.
Sandoval and lawmakers agreed to a number of education reforms in the 2011 session, including a new teacher evaluation process to ensure the best educators remain in the classroom.
